Musical toy.



G. L. GRUVER & W. A. PETERS.

MUSICAL TOY.

, APPLICATION rum) 001'. s, 1913.

1,109,903. Pa en ed Sept. 8, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETE-RE c0 PHDTO-LITNO \VASHING TON. D c

- NI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, CURTIS L. CRUVER AND WILLIAM A. PETER or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

.Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Toys;. and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to finger-actuated musical toys r noise-making novelties for imitating the sound of a snare drum or of a rattle.

provide a miniature and quickly assembled drum constructed of few and cheap parts,

and in which a single flexible member will simultaneously maintain the parts in their assembled relation to one another and provide the power for moving the beater or tapper into rapid and forcible impact against the diaphragm or sounding membrane of.

the drum.

Other objects are to provide, a simple construction in which the casing of the drum may be simultaneously equipped with formations for anchoring the head or sounding disk of the drum therein and with formations forpreventing the edges of the casing from cutting the fingers when held in the. hand, and to provide simple means for varying the pitch of the instrument.

Other objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1', and '6 are elevations ofv musical toys embodying our invention.

Fig. -2 is a vertical section through Fig. -1 along the line 2-2. Fig. 3- is a horizontal section through the drum of Fig.

.'1 along the line 3 -3 of Fig. -2.;

Fig. .4 is an enlargedfragmentary section of Fig. 2' alongthe line 14:. Fig. -.5 is a fragmentary View showing an alternative form of sounding disk and of the formation upon the casing for holding the said disk in position. Fig. -7- is a horizontal section through Fig. 6 along the line 7+7.

In Figs. 1, -2, and .8, the toy of our invention consists of a disk 1 of metal or other resonant material equipped at its periphery with a stiffening flange 2, which flange conforms substantially in section to;

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 8 1913. Serial No. 794,019.

1 5 Q 1 MUSICAL TOY.

the interior of a grooved formation longr tudinally disposed upon a metal strip intermediate f the edges thereof. Afterthe said groove has been formed in the strip 3, the latter is rolled or Wrapped around the Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

disk 2 to form a substantially cylindrical I casing 3. However, the strip is shorter than the circumference of the disk or insufficient to completely encircle the said disk, and hence leaves a gap between the ends of the thus curving the stripis equipped at two 1 said strip. The metal casing 3 formed by points with prongs 5 directed away from the ends of the strip, the prongs serving as means for securing the ends of a loop of The prime ob ect of our invention 18.130

twine or other flexible material to portions F:

of the casing disposed at opposite sides of the said gap. The two strands of flexible cord 6 thus stretched across the said gap are twisted about each other by means of a bar 7 of metal or wood, which bar is then slid inwardly of the casing until its inner endreaches substantially to the center of the disk 1, the length of the bar being such that the other end thereof will project considerably beyond the periphery of the casing 8. It will be obvious from Figs. -1- and 3- that when the cord 6 has thus been tightly twisted in the proper direction, its torsional tendency to untwist will tend to press the inner end 8 of the bar against the disk 1, while the flexibility of the cord 6 will enable the said end 8 to be raised out cylindrical drum casing without requiring auxiliary fastening means of any kind.

- In forming the metal casing member 3, we preferably simultaneously form both the aforesaid groove for receiving the edge portion of the diaphragm 1, and a groove at each of the respective edges of the said strip. When the latter is wrapped around the disk to house the same, the grooves at the edges thereof will form outwardly convexcd bead formations 10, thereby present- Fig. 5 the casing being equippedwith', a correspondingly more acute grooved for mation for receiving the said disk. By com- Q pressing either end of the casing manually (as shown in dotted lines in Fi 1), the size of the opening at that end will be varied, thereby altering the pitch of the sound. 1 In either case, it will be evident fromFigs.

-2---' and -5 that the bore of the substantially cylindrical-casing is. smaller than: the disk, and that the tension of the twisted; flexible member continually tends to decrease the diameter of the said casing, there- 2 by causing the grooved portion of the latter i to firmly grip the disk. Moreover, ana'uxil-; iary disk or member 11 may be mounted in; the grooved formation at one end of the drum, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.'-2.; Instead of having prongs upon the casing for receiving the end loop of the flexible; member,'the latter may be threadedthrough; perforations 12, as shown in Fi 6.j Likewise, various other modifications may be made in the construction herein disclosed, f

without departing from the spirit of our invention. For example, instead of provid-' ing the casing with a groove for receiving: the resonant disk to hold the latter 'in itsf normal positiontransverse to the axis of the cylindrical casing the disk may be equipped with a plurality of prongs 13, interfitting slots or perforations in the casing, as shown will be obvious that the single flexible mem-I her will simultaneously hold the casing tightly wrapped around the disk and pro-.

vide the torsional tendency for effecting the desired tapping or'noise-making movement surfaces may be used for the presentation of advertising matter.

will permit the free movement of the tapper between thesaid ends.

We claim as our invention:

in the said cylinder transversely of the axis thereof, a torsionally flexible member stretched across the said gap and secured at 'its'opposite ends to the said cylinder, and a tapper carried-by the said flexible member;

Also, that the gap; or opening longitudinally of the cylinder be- "tween the ends of the material forming the casing may be of any desired width that one end of the said tapper extending inward .of the cylinder through the said gap and normally pressed against the said dia-v phragm by the torsional action of the said flexible member, the other end of said tapper providing a handle for digitally menipulatlng the tapper. i

2. A musical toy comprising a cylinder having a gap longitudinally disposed therein, a resonant disk mounted within the Sai cylinder, a torsionally flexible member mounted upon the said cylinder and extending across the said gap, and a tapper carried by the said flexible member, the ends of l the said tapper extending respectively outward beyond the'periphery'of the said cylinder and inward into engagement with the said resonant disk, there being circumferentially disposed formations upon the said cylinder enga ing-the said disk to prevent the motion of the latter longitudinally of the cylinder, the tension of the said flexibl'e member simultaneously holding the said cylinder with its said formations in theirsaid engagement with the said disk and holding the inner end of the tapper yieldingly' against the said disk.

A musical toy comprising a cylinder having a longitudinally disposed gap therein and having an inwardly concave groove extending circumferentially thereof, a resend yieldingly pressed by the flexible meta- W ber against the said disk, the tension of the said flexible member tending to decrease the diameter of the cylinder, whereby the said groove formation is caused to house the edges of the disk to hold the latter rigid :3

with respect to the cylinder.

4. A musical toy comprising a cylinder of resonant material havin a longitudinally disposed gap therein and having a pair of prongs disposed at opposite sides of the saidgap, an endless flexible member looped over the said prongs and stretched across thesaid ga and a tapper carried by the portion oft e'said flexible member opposifle the said gap; the said flexible member being twisted about itself, whereb tendency to untwist will hol the inner end of the said tapper in yielding engagement 1. A musical toycomprising a cylinder: having a longitudinally disposed opening in one side thereof, a diaphragmmounted with its torsion j with the said disk, the other end 0 the said cylinder and enabling the tapper to be digitally manipulated.

5. A musical toy comprisin adisk of resonant material, a casing there or formed of L a strip of metal shorter in length than the circumference of the said disk and equipped with a longitudinally disposed groove formation, the said strip being wrapped about the periphery of the said disk to form a casing for the latter, the edge portion of the said disk being seated in the said groove to interlock the disk with the said casing, a torsionally flexible member secured at its ends to portions of the said housing and stretched across the gap between the ends of the strip forming the said casing, and a tapper carried by the said flexible member and projecting through the said gap into the interior of the said housing and into engagement with the said disk, the said tapper also having a portion projecting outwardly of the casing to afford a means for digitally manipulating the tapp er.'

6. A musical toy comprising a disk of resonant material, a casing formed of a strip of metal shorter in length than the circumference of the side disk and equipped with longitudinally disposed groove formations at its lateral edges and along a line intermediate of the said edges, the said strip be ing wrapped about the periphery of the said disk to partially incase the latter, the said intermediary groove affording a seat for the said disk, the said grooves at the edges of the disk affording. a rounding of the end portions of the said casing, a torsionally flexible member secured at its ends to portions of the said housing and stretched across the gap between the ends of the strip forming the said casing, and a tapper carried by the said flexible member and projecting through the said gap into the interior of the said housing and interengaging with the said disk, the said tapper also having a portion projecting outwardly of the casing to afford a means for digitally manipulating the tapper.

7. A musical toy comprising a casing having a longitudinally disposed opening in one side thereof, a diaphragm mounted Within the casing intermediate of the ends thereof, and a tapping member mounted upon the casing and yieldingly bearing at one end against the said diaphragm; the said casing capable of being manually flexed to increase or decrease the opening at one end thereof, thereby altering the pitch of the toy.

8. A musical toy comprising adisk of resonant material, a casing therefor formed of a strip of metal shorter in length than the circumference of the said disk, the said strip being wrapped around the periphery of the said disk to partially incase the latter, a torsionally flexible member secured at its ends to the said casing and stretched across the gap between the ends of the strip forming the said casing, and a tapper carried by the said flexible member and projecting through the said gap into the interior of the said casing and into engagement with the said disk, the opening between the ends of the said strip permitting the latter to be flexed to enlarge or contract the opening at one end of the said casing to vary the pitch of the toy.

9. In a musical toy having a resonant disk and a tapper supported in proximity thereto and yieldingly impinging thereagainst, a member Wrapped around the disk to form a casing open at one end; the said member being manually flexible to increase or decrease the size of the said opening, thereby varying the pitch of the toy.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CURTIS L. ORUVER. \VILLIAM A. PETERS. Witnesses:

E. TRITELINE, A. RANDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

